Q THE BIOCOSMOS GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 



by Nature only the aggregate action and pro- 

 duct of many natural laws, and by laws the 

 sequence of events as ascertained by us." A 

 collection of natural laws apparently self-ex- 

 ecuting is Nature according to the conscious 

 definition of Darwin. So he proceeds to think 

 himself rid of the intrusive personifying ten- 

 dency in his exposition of his science. But 

 Nature herself some how refuses to be treated 

 in that impersonal way, except perchance 

 by little fragments. Now we hold that the 

 instinctive procedure of Darwin as naturalist 

 is far truer and deeper than his expressed in- 

 tention; the naive observer in him is a much 

 greater man than the definer or metaphy- 

 sician. 



In the same connection he takes occasion to 

 reply to the animadversions upon his use of 

 his pivotal category, Natural Selection, a term 

 whose easiest meaning is Selection by Nature. 

 This certainly indicates that Nature proceeds 

 by some sort of choice involving Will. Dar- 

 win speaks of the objectors who say that "the 

 term Selection implies conscious choice in the 

 animals which become modified, and it has 

 even been urged that as plants have no voli- 

 tion, Natural Selection is not applicable to 

 them.' : Certainly lower animals and plants 

 are not conscious, are not Egos; still they 

 have a psychical element in Life, and there 



